In the vast expanses of Russia, you can find many abandoned architectural monuments. For the restoration of which huge sums are required, therefore, for the most part, such buildings, especially those located somewhere in the outback, eventually collapse more and more and fall into complete decline.
One of these lost monuments of the 19th century is located in the Kostroma region, in the middle of the forest wilderness. There used to be a village here, but gradually it began to die out, and people left these places long ago.
Built in 1897 by the wealthy former serf Martyan Sazonov, this abandoned tower was discovered by Andrey Pavlichenko, a Moscow businessman who is fond of Russian history. He was struck by the beauty of the dilapidated old building, and he decided to restore it.
When the businessman and his wife came to look at the house, they were horrified by the picture that appeared. The majestic tower was in a deplorable state. It was half destroyed, black holes gaped instead of windows, a rickety tower stood on top, and there was a huge hole in the roof. With the help of volunteers, Pavlyuchenko tried for two years to at least partially restore the house, but nothing came of this venture. To save the building from further destruction, it had to be taken down to its foundations, the rotten boards replaced, and rebuilt. This required a large investment of money. The businessman had to buy the building and invest his own funds for its complete restoration.
A lot of time was spent looking for a restorer ready to recreate the old tower. Such a specialist was found, it turned out to be Alexander Popov.
Work began in the spring of 2012. The building was completely dismantled, the remaining logs were taken to the workshop for restoration. Then they started building it from scratch. Rotten logs and decayed parts were replaced with new ones. All the necessary elements were made according to ancient technologies. During the construction of the tower, about 40% of new logs were required. Antique elements were not painted so that they stood out against the background of new details. Even waterproofing was built “in the old fashioned way” using birch bark.
It took about ten years to restore the Astashovsky Terem. Today there is a hotel-museum here, and everyone can settle in this wonderful place, feel the spirit of a hundred years ago. The interior of the house is fully consistent with the era of the late XIX century. Antique furniture and antique household items were collected from villages and bought at auctions. They were able to restore the front staircase, and the hall was painted in pink marble, just like it was in the days of the former owner Sazonov. The wallpaper pattern was restored by an English master for a whole year, using saved samples. It took about four years to restore the interior of the house.
For the convenience of guests, eco-houses were built on the territory of the hotel. No more than 25 people can live in the tower at the same time. All guests are offered to try dishes made according to an old Russian recipe. Accommodation in a hotel suite per day costs 6,000 rubles. As entertainment, guests are offered fishing, walks in the surroundings, visits to ancient churches, and rafting on the river. You can go on excursions to nearby cities such as Chukhloma or Galich. Every year more and more tourists come to the Astashovsky hotel-terem to feel the ancient atmosphere and enjoy the surrounding natural beauties.
